Menomonie () is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Dunn County, Wisconsin Dunn County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,440. Its county seat is Menomonie. Dunn County comprises the Menomonie Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Eau Claire-Men ...

, United States. The city's population was 16,843 as of the 2020 census. Menomonie forms the core of the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

's Menomonie Micropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which includes all of Dunn County (2020 population: 45,440). The Menomonie MSA and the

Eau Claire–Chippewa Falls metropolitan area The Eau Claire metropolitan area refers loosely to the urbanized area along the Chippewa River (Wisconsin), Chippewa and Eau Claire River (Chippewa River), Eau Claire Rivers, in west-central Wisconsin, with its primary center at Eau Claire, Wisc ...

to the east form the Census Bureau's Eau Claire-Menomonie Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area. Menomonie is home to the

University of Wisconsin–Stout The University of Wisconsin–Stout (UW–Stout or Stout) is a public university in Menomonie, Wisconsin, United States. The Institute of technology, polytechnic university of the University of Wisconsin System, it enrolls more than 6,900 stude ...

, the state's designated polytechnic university which enrolls nearly 7,000 students. The

city center A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms that exist in ...

is at the south end of Lake Menomin, a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

on the Red Cedar River. The name Menomonie is derived from , the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

word for wild rice, and is usually translated as “wild rice people”.

History

The earliest known residents of the area were people from the Trempealeau

Hopewell Culture The Hopewell tradition, also called the Hopewell culture and Hopewellian exchange, describes a network of precontact Native American cultures that flourished in settlements along rivers in the northeastern and midwestern Eastern Woodlands from ...

of the Middle

Woodland Period In the classification of :category:Archaeological cultures of North America, archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BC to European contact i ...

(100–400 CE). Evidence from their culture includes a mound from the Wakanda Mounds Group in Wakanda Park, along the western shore of Lake Menomin. Most of these mounds are thought to be from

Effigy Mound An effigy mound is a raised pile of earth built in the shape of a stylized animal, symbol, religious figure, human, or other figure. The Effigy Moundbuilder culture is primarily associated with the years 550–1200 CE during the Late Woodland P ...

cultures from this time period. Artifacts from the Late Woodland Period (400–1000 CE) have also been uncovered. It is theorized that agricultural villages supported the population during summer months, transitioning to hunting and gathering from fall through spring. The next known population group is the Santee Dakota in the 1600s and 1700s, who engaged in conflicts with the

people, who migrated west as refugees. Armed with European weapons, the Ojibwe pushed westward, eventually winning at the Battle of Kathio in 1770. The two tribes continued their warfare, eventually signing the 1825 First Treaty of Prairie du Chien, which made a border between the two just north of Menomonie, with the Dakota claiming the southern lands. In 1788, French-Canadian fur trader and schoolmaster Jean Baptiste Perrault established a trading post and fort on the Red Cedar River very near Menomonie. The

lumber industry The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry – when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. fu ...

brought Menomonie permanent settlement and economic prosperity in the 1800s. Hardin Perkins established the first sawmill at the confluence of Wilson Creek and the Red Cedar River in 1822 on behalf of fur traders James H. Lockwood and

Joseph Rolette Joseph Rolette, Jr. (23 October 1820 – 16 May 1871) was an American fur trader and politician during Minnesota's Territorial era of Minnesota, territorial era and the American Civil War, Civil War. His father was Jean Joseph Rolette, ofte ...

of Prairie du Chien. The mill was washed away by a sudden overflow in the river within a year. Working with

Indian Agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the U.S. government. Agents established in Nonintercourse Act of 1793 The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the Un ...

General Street, Perkins, Lockwood and Rolette began a legal battle over the authority of the local Native American people to grant permissions of this sort, exchanging land for payment of blankets, beads, whiskey, and other merchandise to Dakota Chief Wapasha II and other Ojibwe chiefs. In 1830 the traders received permission from the federal government to rebuild their lumber operation. This was the first permanent settlement on the land that became the city of Menomonie. Lockwood built a second mill and dam on the west side of the Red Cedar River, at the confluence of Gilbert Creek. He sold this to Hiram S. Allen, a lumberman from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. In 1839, Allen built a new sawmill in its place, which he sold to the McCann brothers, settlers from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

who later became the first permanent residents of

Eau Claire Eau Claire (French for "clear water", ''pl.'' ''eaux claires'') is the name of a number of locations and features in North America. The name is pronounced as if it were spelled "O'Clare". Place names (Canada) Communities *Eau Claire, Calgary, a n ...

. In 1849, the Gilbert Creek Mill became the site of the first post office. Lockwood and Rolette sold their original operation to James Green in 1841, who turned over the deed to William Black in 1842. In 1846, William Wilson and John Holly Knapp jointly purchased the mill, naming it Black & Knapp Mill. Wilson and his family settled in the area, eventually building what is now the Wilson Place Museum in 1859. Wilson founded the city of Menomonie and became its first mayor in 1882, as well as a Wisconsin State Senator. Captain Andrew Tainter and Henry L. Stout acquired interest in Wilson and Knapp's company, forming Knapp, Stout & Co. in 1853, the company that would come to define the town for generations. Tainter was a silent partner, whose duties included shipping lumber down to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

and returning with supplies. By 1873, Knapp, Stout & Co. had become the world's largest lumber corporation. In 43 years, its output grew from 100,000 to 5,706,602 feet of lumber. It had 1,200 employees and owned of pine forest. The post office was moved to the site of the Knapp, Stout & Co. Company in 1855, with Wilson as postmaster. Menomonie was incorporated as a city in 1882. The Mabel Tainter Memorial Building, a local landmark, was built in 1890 and dedicated on July 3, 1890, by Tainter in honor of his daughter Mabel, who had died in 1886 at the age of 19. In 1891, Wisconsin State Senator James Huff Stout, son of Henry L. Stout, founded a manual training school, the first of several educational enterprises he launched in Menomonie. These educational programs were combined into the Stout Institute in 1908, and still stand as the

. In 1901, the water mill shut down and Knapp, Stout & Co. closed operations in the area. The Wisconsin Power Company and Submerged Electric Motor Co. acquired some of the company's facilities, the latter to house the world's first outboard motor factory. In 1902, the Wilson-Weber Lumber Company took over retail operations of the Knapp, Stout & Co. That same year, Menomonie founded the nation's first agricultural high school, the Dunn County School of Agriculture and Domestic Economy.

Geography

Menomonie is located at (44.879, −91.918). According to the

, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. Menomonie is along

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

, State Highway 25 (which serves as the main north–south thoroughfare through town), State Highway 29, U.S. Highway 12, and Dunn County Road B.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 16,843 people. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 6,674 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 4.4% Asian, 1.7%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.9% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.8%

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 16,264 people, 5,743 households, and 2,455 families living in the city. The

was . There were 6,234 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.9%

, 0.8%

, 0.5% Native American, 4.2% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 5,743 households, of which 20.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 57.3% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the city was 23.4 years. 13.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 42% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.5% were from 25 to 44; 14.9% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female. It is important to remember that a large percentage of the 42% between 18 and 24 were students at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

2000 census

As of the 2000

, there were 14,937 people, 5,119 households, and 2,370 families living in the city. The

was 1,160.7 people per square mile (448.1/km²). There were 5,441 housing units at an average density of 422.8 per square mile (163.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.79%

, 0.76%

, 0.41% Native American, 3.21% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.64% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 5,119 households, out of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were

living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.7% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 15.5% under the age of 18, 40.4% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 12.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,103, and the median income for a family was $44,458. Males had a median income of $30,893 versus $21,898 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $15,994. About 9.1% of families and 23.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Dunn County Transit

Dunn County Transit is Menomonie's

public transportation Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whi ...

system. It is owned and operated by Dunn County.

Services

The transit system operates two routes. The Community Route serves Menomonie at large; the Stout Route serves only UW-Stout but is open to the general public. These routes run as follows: *Community Route: 7:37am – 4:09pm Monday through Friday and 8:53am – 12:09pm on Saturdays *Stout Route: 7:17am – 9:09pm Monday through Friday

Ridership

Menomonie Municipal Airport (KLUM) serves the city and surrounding communities.

Education

Menomonie schools are part of the Menomonie Area School District. The city has one public high school, Menomonie High School, and one public middle school, Menomonie Middle School. There are five public elementary schools in the district: River Heights Elementary, Wakanda Elementary, Oaklawn Elementary, Downsville Elementary, and Knapp Elementary. St. Paul's Lutheran School is a Christian Pre-K–8 school of the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...

(WELS) in Menomonie. The city is home to the

and a campus of Chippewa Valley Technical College.

Jail

Dunn County Jail is on Menomonie's eastern edge. It houses sentenced and non-sentenced, male and female inmates. As of July 2020, there are just over 80 inmates.

Media

* '' The Menomonie Times'', a weekly newspaper published 1876–1909, * '' The Menomonie Badger'', a weekly newspaper published in 1903 and 1904 * ''The Dunn County News''

Honors

In 2012, Menomonie was ranked #15 in '' Smithsonian''s "The 20 Best Small Towns in America".

Notable people

* Stewart J. Bailey, Wisconsin legislator * Bill Bakke,

ski jumper Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fin ...

who competed in the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. The 1968 Winter Games marked the first time ...

* G. H. Bakke, Wisconsin legislator * Alvin J. Baldus, U.S. Representative * Wilfred Duford, NFL player * Rockwell J. Flint, Wisconsin state legislator and newspaper editor * Vern Fuller,

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player *

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

, writer and screenwriter, has lived near Menomonie since 1992 * John Paul Gerber, author and historian * Wilson Hall, half of the comedy duo God's Pottery * Tim Harmston, stand-up comedian * Lorenzo D. Harvey, educator * Luke Helder, University of Wisconsin—Stout student who attempted to create a smiley-face on the United States map with pipe bombs * Ethan Iverson, jazz pianist and founding member of The Bad Plus *

Warren S. Johnson Warren Seymour Johnson (November 6, 1847 – December 5, 1911) was an American college professor who, frustrated by his inability to regulate individual classroom temperatures, invented a multi-zone pneumatic control system for this purpose. John ...

, founder of Johnson Controls and former school principal in Menomonie in the late 19th century * Ellen Kort, Wisconsin's first Poet Laureate, grew up in Menomonie * Reynold Kraft, NFL player * Tim Krumrie,

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

(1987–1988),

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

* Robert Macauley, Wisconsin legislator and jurist * Harry Miller, "the greatest creative figure in the history of the American racing car" * Tom Neumann, professional football player *

Marvin Panch Marvin Emil Panch (May 28, 1926December 31, 2015) was an American stock car racing driver. Winner of the 1961 Daytona 500 and 1966 World 600, he won seventeen NASCAR Grand National Series events during a 17-year career. Early career Born in ...

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

driver, winner of 1961

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

* Sewell A. Peterson, politician * Joe Plouff, politician * Charles Sanna,

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

of Swiss Miss instant

hot chocolate Hot Chocolate are a British soul band formed by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson. The group had at least one hit song every year on the UK Singles Chart from 1970 to 1984. Their hits include " You Sexy Thing", a UK number two which also made ...

* Richard Shoemaker, Wisconsin legislator * Nate Stanley, NFL player * Earl L. Stendahl, art dealer * James Huff Stout, legislator and businessman * Jeremiah Burnham Tainter, engineer * Tom Wiedenbauer,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

and first-base coach for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

* Aaron Yonda, comedy video producer

Notable attractions

* The Mabel Tainter Theater * Hoffman Hills State Recreation Area *Red Cedar State Trail

In popular culture

* '' Caddie Woodlawn'', a Newbery Award-winning novel, is based on the girlhood adventures of Caroline Augusta Woodhouse, who lived about 10 miles south of Menomonie. The novel is by Woodhouse's granddaughter, Carol Ryrie Brink, and was published in 1936. There is a historical marker in the wayside park near the Woodhouse house. *The fictional town of Lakeside in

's novel ''

American Gods ''American Gods'' (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana (culture), Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shad ...

'' may be based on Menomonie. *The eighth episode of season 11 of the television show ''

Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

'' takes place in Menomonie. *Holloway Roberts from Mark Z. Danielewski's '' House of Leaves'' was born in Menomonie. He uses this fact as a mantra throughout his narrative.

Sister cities

Menomonie has two

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

relationships: *

Nasukarasuyama file:Tochigi Ryumon-Waterfall.jpg, Ryumon Falls is a Cities of Japan, city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 25,783 in 10,509 households, and a population density of 150 persons per km2. The total ar ...

, Japan * Konakovo, Russia

References

External links

City of Menomonie

Menomonie Business Directory
* Menomonie LocalWiki * {{Authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Dunn County, Wisconsin Micropolitan areas of Wisconsin County seats in Wisconsin Populated places established in 1788 1788 establishments in the Northwest Territory Wisconsin placenames of Native American origin